Cigar and cigarette case



Oct. 21 1924.

H. D. HOUGH CIGAR AND CIGARETTE CASE Filed Ablil'l9 1921 Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE.

HERBERT D. HOUGI-I, OF GRANSTON, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO VTIGHTMAN AND HOUGH COMPANY, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF RI-IODE ISLAND.

CIGAR AND CIGARETTE CASE.

Application filed. April 19, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, HERBERT D. Hoosier, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Cranston, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cigar and Cigarette Cases, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates in general to an article for carrying small packages such as cigars and cigarettes in the pocket, and the present disclosure constitutes a modified form of the device disclosed in my copendin application, Serial No. 419,801, filed October 27, 1920.

The present invention, like the invention in the above identified application, features simplicity in construction and economy in the manufacture of a metallic case in which separate'cigarettes, or a paper package of the same, can be readily mounted in protected position in the closed case and from which the individual cigarettes may be withdrawn one at a time as needed from the case when open.

The invention features an improvement in the type of such cases which includes two cover units hinged together with an article holder housed within the cover.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple form of combined. hinge and. holder unit which will form the usual insert in devices of this character and which unit will tend to reinforce the thin metal of the enclosing cover units at their hinge connections, and incidentally provide a, construction, the several units of which are easy to manufacture and readily fabricated into the completed article.

Still another object of the invention is to provide, an improved form of spring mounting for moving the cover units into their open position and for resiliently mounting the holder in spaced relation to the cover units when in such open position.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one form of .mechanism embodying my invention, and the invention also consists in cer- Serial No. 462,503.

tain new and novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a preferred embodiment of the invention disposed in open position and with parts of the cover units broken away to show the hinge construction; i

filgure 2 1s a fragmentary enlarged view of a part of the showing in Figure 1 and taken in section approximately upon the broken line 22 of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

Figure 3 is a plan view of a metal. blank prior to its being folded into the holder in Figure 1.

In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by speci c names for convenience of expression but they are intended to be generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit.

In the drawings there is shown a pair of dished or concaved cover units 10 and 11 and it is to be understood that these units are simple stampings of sheet metal. Er;- cept that they must be sufficiently rugged to carry the snap catch 12 they are not in- 0 can tended to receive any localized strains and therefore can be made of a thinner gauge of metal than has been used heretofore in the construction of similar articles.

The cover units are hingedly connected together'along adjacent sides by means of an assembled unit in the form of an insert which includes a holder and a pair of re inforcing plates 1% and 15 hingedly connected together. j

The holder is formed from a single sheet of perforated and shaped s ieet spring metal, more particularly shown in Figure 3. Re-

ferring particularly to the detailed showing form the relatively narrow two-part sides 19 of the completed holder as shown in Figure 1.

The bottom 16 is provided with two E-shaped slots 21 which are bent out of the plane of the bottom to form lugs 22. These lugs are bent outwardly or downwardly as shown in'Figures 1 and 2 and have their free ends turned back upon themselves to form spaced apart, aligned eyes 23 passed about a locking rod 24. The bottom 16 is also provided with two lines of slots 25, with the metal between each pair of slots pressed downwardly to form loops 26, positioned on opposite sides of the axis of the hinge connection indicated by the locking rod 2st. A wire spring 27 is mounted in each line of loop and has one end 28 projecting laterally from the hinge connection and bearing on the underside of the holder as shown in Figure 1. The opposite ends 29 of each of the springs is downturned and disposed in bearing engagement with the adjacent reinforcing plate 14:-

Each of the reinforcing plates ll and 15 extend for a material distance along the in ner side of the adjacent cover unit; is fastened thereto by rivets 30 and tends to reinforce thi part of the cover unit. The plates are provided with spaced apart lugs, herein shown to be three, extending-fron'i the upper edge of the plate and bent back upon them selves to form aligned eyes 31 encircling the rod 241- and coacting with the eyes extending from the holder to complete the hinge connection between the holder and between the two parts of the cover.

One end of each of the reinforcing plates is corrugated to form a spring receiving and guiding groove 32 extending laterally from the axis of the hinge connection and having the extension 29 of the spring slidably mounted therein, as shown in Figure 2.

In operation it will be understood that the two springs reacting on the holder will tend to spread the cover units into the open position shown in Figure 1 and will tend to maintain the holder in the upright position disclosed, in spaced relation to the cover units. The device can be closed simply by bringing the cover units together and against the tension of both of the springs,in which position the cover will be held in closed position by the snap 12, as is usual. in such devices.

By means of the combined holder and hinge connection herein disclosed it is possible to economize in the amount of metal used and this saving in manufacturing cost is vitally necessary, especially where valu able metals are utilized. The manufacture of the article has been further reduced by confining the same largely to simple stamp ingoperations, which can be done cheaply with die machinery, thus eliminating to a large extent the labor costs usual in the manufacture of such articles.

The device illustrated lends itself readily to repairing operations for'a new springcan be easily inserted in the loops to take the place of a damaged spring and even a new holder or a new cover unit can be substituted simply by opening the necessary hinge eye.

While I have shown and described and have pointed out in the annexed claims, certain novel features of my invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from'the spirit'of the invention. I

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a cigarette package containing case, the combination with'a two part cover, a hinge connection pivotally connectingfthe parts of the cover and a reinforcing plate secured to each of the cover parts'of a holder fashioned to receive a package of "cigarettes or the like and piv'otally connected to the hinge connection between the parts of the cover, a series of aligned loops for'fcn'ed. on the bottom of the holder on opposite sides of the hinge connection, and a spring'mounted in each of said series of loops, on'e end of each spring being'bent to engage the bottom of the holder and the other'end'of each spring being bent to engage one of said reinforcing plates thereby to maintain the holder upright when the parts of 'thecove r are in open position. V

2. In a cigarette package containing case, the combination of a pair ofcover part's and hinged connections therefor, including a holder provided with a pair of lugs bent back upon themselves to "form eyes, and a pair of reinforcing plates secured to the cover parts, and each plate rovidedwithan extension bent backupon itself'toformaneye and a locking rod passed through "the aligned eyes to complete the hinged connection.

3. In a cigarette package containingcase, the combination of a pair of oo'vei parts and hinged connections "therefor, intiludi'n'g a holder provided with a pair of lugs bent back upon themselvesto form eyes, and a pair of reinforcing pla-tes secured 'to the cover parts, and each plate-provided with an extension bent back upon itself't'o "form an eye, a locking rod passed through'the aligned eyes to complete the hingedconnection, and a spring carried by the holder, having an end bearing on one of the pl'ates'and tending to move the holder in onedire'ction from said spring engaged plate.

4C. In a device'of the class described, "the combination with a pair'of'cover parts,'of

a unit adapted to form a holder and a hinge connection for the cover parts, said unit including a hinge pin, a holder provided with eyes encircling said pin and a pair of cover reinforcing plates, provided with eyes encircling said pin and means for securing the plates to the cover parts.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a pair of cover parts, of a unit adapted to form a holder and a hinge connection for the cover parts, said unit including a hinge pin, a holder provided with eyes encircling said pin and a pair of cover reinforcing plates, provided with eyes encircling said pin and means for securing the plates to the cover parts, and a pair of springs engaging the holder on opposite sides of the pin and each spring engaging the adjacent plate.

6. In a cigarette package containing case, the combination with a two part cover and hinge connection pivotally connecting the parts of the cover, of a holder fashioned to receive a package of cigarettes or the like pivotally connected to the hinge connection between the parts of the cover and provided with spring fastening means, and springs mounted in said fastening means on opposite sides of the hinge connection, one end of each spring being bent to engage the bottom of the holder and the other end of each spring being bent to engage the adja cent cover part thereby to maintain the holder upright when the parts of the cover are in open position.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination which includes a holder, means for pivotally mounting the same, a plate provided with a spring locating member, and a spring bearing at one end on the holder and having its other end guided in said locating member.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination which includes a holder, means for pivotally mounting the same, a plate provided with a groove, and a wire spring bearing at one end on the holder and having its other end guided in said groove.

9. In a cigarette package containing case, the combination of two concave cover units, and a combined holder and hinge for the cover units, enclosed by the cover units when in closed position, and including a holder, two plates pivotally connected to each other and to the holder and means for securing the plates to the inner sides of the cover units.

10. In a cigarette package containing case, the combination of two concave cover units, and a combined holder and hinge for the cover units, enclosed by the cover units when in closed position, and including a holder, two plates pivotally connected to each other and to the holder and a pair of springs secured to the underside of the holder, bearing on said plates and coacting to maintain the holder in spaced relation to the cover units when in open position, and means for securing the plates to the inner sides of the cover units.

Signed at Cranston in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island this 13th day of April, A. D. 1921.

HERBERT D. HOUGH. 

